# AAIB Final Report Blames Air India Express Crew Lapse for April 3 Runway Incursion at Dabolim > India's AAIB found Air India Express crew lapses probably caused an April 3 runway incursion at Dabolim with 171 people aboard. - Published: 2026-10-31T09:32:43+00:00 - Section: Incidents - Author: News Desk - URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-31/air-india-express-goa-runway-incursion-aaib - Source: [The Times of India](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/air-india-express-flight-crews-lapse-probably-led-to-runway-incursion-at-goa-airport-in-april-this-year-aaib/articleshow/135395667.cms) ## Key takeaways - The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's final report says the Air India Express crew did not fully follow taxi instructions before entering the active runway at Dabolim on April 3. - The Boeing 737-8 was to operate flight AXB 1109 from Dabolim to Delhi with 171 people onboard, and there were no injuries. - The AAIB recommended that Air India Express issue a circular to sensitise all crew and that the pilot in command undergo training on the safety lapses. India's [Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/006hnyv/aircraft-accident-investigation-bureau) has concluded that [Air India Express](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0002i1p/air-india-express) flight crew lapses probably caused a runway incursion at Dabolim airport on April 3, when a Boeing 737-8 bound for Delhi entered the active runway near a Navy fighter jet. The Times of India [reported](https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/air-india-express-flight-crews-lapse-probably-led-to-runway-incursion-at-goa-airport-in-april-this-year-aaib/articleshow/135395667.cms) the findings from the bureau's final report. ## What the AAIB Found at Dabolim The aircraft was to operate flight AXB 1109 from Dabolim to Delhi, with 171 people onboard, and there were no injuries. Dabolim is a civil enclave where air traffic services are provided by the INS HANSA tower, with tower and approach controllers from the Indian Navy, while the Surface Movement Control controller is from the Airports Authority of India. The AAIB said the flight crew did not fully adhere to the controller's instruction to hold at the holding point and contact Navy Approach on 119.7 MHz there. "Had they stopped and established positive communication with the Navy- ATC before entering the active runway, the incident could have been avoided," the bureau said. It also found that the controller's call of "Expect back track" was misinterpreted by the Pilot Flying as clearance to enter the runway. The 35-page final report cited a missing readback correction as a contributory factor, saying a correct readback by the captain and a hear-back check by the controller could have prevented the serious incident. It also said the Pilot Monitoring, a trainee, was overly reliant on the instructor and got busy with heads-down tasks after the taxi holding point. The bureau recommended that Air India Express issue a circular to sensitise all crew, that the AXB 1109 crew undergo counselling, and that the pilot in command train on the safety lapses. It suggested the AAI issue a circular on standard radiotelephony phraseology and review phrases like "expect backtrack," and that Dabolim's taxiway TWY N2 be considered a hotspot. ## Air India Express Network and Loyalty Moves According to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data), Air India Express is the low-cost subsidiary of Air India Group operating Boeing 737-8 MAX flights across 55+ destinations, and it extended Air India's Maharaja Club loyalty programme to its flights across those destinations in May 2026. The same records show the airline launched direct Guwahati–Dubai and Guwahati–Abu Dhabi flights in August 2026, scaling to 290+ weekly flights from four Northeast India stations. ## Earlier Air India Express Developments On October 11, 2026, The Times of India reported that Air India Express announced its Winter Schedule 2026 with around 585 daily flights from October 25, expanding to 65 stations and 220 routes. TimesNow reported on October 14, 2026, that Air India and Air India Express are expected to merge several departments under the One Air India integration plan. On October 30, 2026, The Times of India reported that a Thrissur consumer commission ordered the airline to refund Rs 20,287 with 9% interest and pay Rs 40,000 compensation after denying boarding to a woman and her three-year-old on a Kochi-Abu Dhabi flight. ## Revised Handover Procedures at Dabolim Following the occurrence, Naval and AAI authorities met and revised the handing over and taking over procedures, deciding that the SMC controller will coordinate directly with the Navy ATC on the hotline at the start of the day to confirm the runway in use and change-over frequency. ## Companies in this story - [Air India Express company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/0002i1p/air-india-express) · website: https://www.airindiaexpress.com - [Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/006hnyv/aircraft-accident-investigation-bureau) · website: https://aaib.gov.in --- News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt